‘Train-the-Trainer’ approach can Improve Farm Safety Culture
The ‘Train-the-Trainer’ approach has great potential to vastly improve farm safety adoption and culture of persons living and working on farms. This is a key finding of a recent PhD study conducted by Dr Aswathi Surendran at the School of Psychology, University of Galway (UG). The Study was completed as a component of the Teagasc Be Safe Behavioural Farm Safety research project, funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Dr Denis O’Hora, University of Galway and lead supervisor of the study, explained that by empowering trainees, the ‘Train-the-Trainer’ model has the capacity to vastly increase knowledge transmission and adoption to more people in both a time and cost effective way. This approach can also enhance training quality, as the trainer has to consider the practical challenges of the task and they can follow-up by empowering the trainee to adopt the training on an on-going basis.
Dr O’Hora also stated that the ‘Train-the-Trainer’ approach improves the practicality of training as it challenges the trainer to identify gaps in their own knowledge. He added that it proves the saying that ‘teaching is one of the best ways to learn’, with trainers also learn from their learners. Vitally, the ‘Train-the-Trainer’ approach also motivates trainers to adopt best practice themselves to avoid dissonance with knowledge and skills that they have imparted. Thus, trainers can act as role models for learners and can provide on-going supports, thus building culture change.
Dr O’Hora acknowledged that the ‘Train-the-Trainer’ approach has limitations, as it requires time and energy along with building and maintaining relations to allow this approach to work. In addition, strategies need to be put in place to ensure the fidelity of training.
Dr Aswathi Surendran explained that the aim of the ‘Train-the-Trainer’ component of her PhD research was to equip farmers with the knowledge, skills and resources related to farm vehicle stopping distances and driver visibility blind spots to reach out to others on their farm.
Over the decade to 2023, farm vehicles have caused 44% of all farm fatalities, with vehicle speed and visibility due to blind spots being a major contributory factor. Thus improving farmer knowledge of these aspects of farm vehicle use is crucial to cut farm workplace fatality levels.
At one of three experimental training sessions held as part of the study, attended by 19 farmer participants, a training exercise required each farmer trainee to estimate the farm vehicle stopping distance at a speed of 7km/hour. Eighty-four percent underestimated and nobody overestimated the correct stopping distance. Overall, the exercise convinced participants of the need to demonstrate stopping distances on their farms, with participants describing the exercise as ‘eye opening’.
Regarding farm vehicle blind spots, the farmer trainees completed an exercise in groups of three on identifying blind spots using a model of a child. The exercise caused a ‘sense of disbelief’ at the size and position of blind spots. This led to heightened awareness of this issue from both a driver and pedestrian perspective.
Following the vehicle stopping distance and blind spot exercises farmer trainees engaged in a facilitated discussion session where they considered how best to impart motivating training on their farms. They agreed to comply with a ‘Voluntary Training Procedure Agreement’ with persons participating in training, designed to gain a shared sense of responsibility and set clear actionable goals for the training sessions.
Following the farmer trainer session, 90% (17) provided follow-up training to an average of 2.47 person including workers, farm employees, family members and neighbours.
Dr John McNamara, Teagasc Health and Safety Specialist stated that there are currently over 135 thousand farms with about 270,000 persons either working or living on these farms, accordingly, there is huge potential to use the ‘Train-the-Trainer’ approach to improve farm safety culture.
A YouTube Seminar ‘Train-the-Trainer - Training farmers to deliver training among farmers on farm vehicle behaviour’ provided by Dr Surendran and may be accessed here
A Video on Farm Vehicle Safety and Blind Spots is available here
The complete supervisory team for Dr Surendran’s PhD Study included: Dr Denis O’Hora; Dr Jennifer McSharry and Dr Oonagh Meade, School of Psychology, University of Galway along with Dr David Meredith, Dr John McNamara, Mr Francis Bligh and Ms Serena Gibbons all Teagasc. The team would like to sincerely thank participating farmers for their contribution to this Study.